A convicted gang member was arrested Monday on the Boardwalk, where he was working as an ambassador.
Shawn Pettis, 38, was wanted in a domestic incident from Sunday, when the victim went to police saying Pettis punched her several times and she suffered a broken nose, according to the affidavit obtained by BreakingAC.
Officers Salvatore Rando and Anthony Abrams were on the Boardwalk near New York Avenue when they spotted Pettis just before 3 p.m. Monday.
As the officer arrested Pettis, he was found with 50 bags of heroin, Lt. Kevin Fair said.
Pettis was jailed on the simple assault warrant. He additionally was given summonses for possession, possession with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public zone.
He is employed by ABM Industry Groups, which contracts with the CRDA to provide Boardwalk ambassadors.
In April, the CRDA board approved a resolution increasing the salary cap with ABM for the Tourism District ambassadors by $1.25 million to just more than $3 million.
CRDA spokeswoman Karen Martin referred comment to Pettis' employer, ABM.
“We are committed to fostering a professional and safe working environment and expect those who represent us to do the same," ABM's Michael Valentino told BreakingAC. "The individual in this matter has been suspended pending further investigation."
Pettis previously was sentenced to a decade in prison for his part in the 800 Blok drug-trafficking gang that once ran the city's Back Maryland section.
He was one of 28 men charged during "Operation Blok Buster" in 2013, that dismantled the violent ring.
It also allegedly halted a hit that Pettis intended to carry out.
He was arrested Feb. 6, 2013, after the city's Violent Crime Task Force uncovered the alleged plot to kill a man at an Atlantic County hotel.
Absecon police would stop a car that he was a passenger in, when they found the loaded .380-caliber handgun he bought for the crime, the Attorney General's Office announced at the time.
Valentino was asked if his company knew of Pettis' history.
"While I cannot comment on any individual, I can confirm that team members undergo a criminal background check at time of hire,” he said.
